Sunwing
by HayesAJones
Summary: My take on if Sunwing had been adapted to TV. Shade has become distant, due to both Goth haunting his dreams and his jealousy of the attention Marina gives Chinook. But, when Goth plans to raise Zots, he must take a stand and save the sun- and the world.
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

**Chapter 1**:

Dreams

_Shade was underwater._

_ The water, being at the foot of the waterfall, was a flurry of violence and movement. Drifts of ice, large and small, were rushing past him, the river's swift current pulling them along, as he struggled to reach the surface. But something large and heavy was pulling him down- Goth. Goth's powerful claws were clutching his ankle, a strange mixture of terrible rage and desperation in his eyes. Shade kicked and thrashed, trying anything to free himself from Goth's deadly embrace. He could decide which prospect was worse- being drowned by Goth or being crushed by one of the ice drifts that were hurling dangerously close to him._

_ He could see parts of his life flashing before his eyes as he felt his strength begin to fade away. He saw himself hunting with Chinook, Todd, and Breeze. He saw himself risking a stupid, childish dare with Chinook to see the sun. He saw Tree Haven being burned down, the echoes of his colony's past escaping into the night sky. He could see himself being taught to echo project by Zephyr. He saw himself fleeing from owls, pigeons,and Goth himself. He saw himself befriending Ursa, the Kermode bear, and King Romulus, the rightful king of the rats. But throughout these episodes from his life two faces always appeared to him- his mother, Ariel, and his best friend, Marina._

I'm sorry...

_ Goth's weight was suddenly ripped from his foot. He began to fight his way to the surface, he caught sight of Goth, then immediately squeezed his eyes shut to avoid seeing him again. Goth was being gridded into the rocky river bottom by a huge drift of ice. His wings, already very badly burned from his electrocuting at the Towers of Fire, were being shredded between the ice drift and the riverbed. His mouth open in a silent scream of horror, Goth clawed wildly at the water. His eyes now held none of his usual malice, but instead shone with primal fear and absolute terror._

Shade's eyes snapped open as he hung upside-down from his roost, a small cry of fear escaped his mouth. His eyes shot around wildly, half-expecting to find Goth, his wing torn to bits, his mouth still open in a wordless cry for help. Shade's heart pounded in his chest, his breathes heavy and ragged. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder

"Are you okay?"

Marina, who was roosting besides him and his mother, who had not yet awoken, was looking at him with concern. Her usually lively eyes were now filled with worry as she frowned at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shade managed.

"Was it Goth again?" Marina knew his dreams were terrorized by the huge, southern bat.

He nodded, his body suddenly tired again. Yet, he was fearful to sleep again. He had other dreams about Goth. In one, he would be pinned to the ground as the huge _Vampyrum spectrum _whispered horrible things into his ear. He whispered about tearing out his heart and eating it, about making him watch as he killed his colony, about feasting on Marina and Ariel.

"Try to go back to sleep, Shade," Marina told him gently. He was about to argue with her, but he felt a wave of weariness wash over him.

"Fine," he sighed. Goth or no Goth, he needed to sleep. Marina gave him a small, kind smile, and tucked her head under her wing to sleep as well. As he tried to fall back to sleep, Shade couldn't help his face growing warm beneath his fur as he thought about how close Marina's warm form was to him. Every time she shifted in her sleep, brushing against him, he felt a jolt of pleasure and embarrassment.

What Marina didn't know was that she haunted his dreams just as much as Goth did.

...

Miles down stream from Hibernaculum, where a phantom cannibal bat was pursuing a tiny Silverwing bat through his dreams, the real Goth was also dreaming.

The broken cannibal had dragged himself out of the river, his body battered and bruised, his wing in shreds. As he laid on the bank, hating himself for allowing himself to be crippled like this, a voice had called him, a presence. Unable to fly, he had dragged himself deep into a crevice he had found at the end of a mine shaft. There he had immediately drifted into the deepest sleep of his life.

As he sat in the total darkness, a presence filled the room, a thing of pure sound, with no physical body to speak of.

"_Goth..._"

His eyes fluttered.

"_Goth..._"

Goth opened his eyes drearily, and answered. "I am here." Goth opened his eyes, not sure if he was dreaming or not, only to find that they were useless in the thick, inky darkness.

"_Are you my servant?_," the quiet voice cooed.

"Who are you?"

"_You know who I am- say it_"

Goth gave no response.

"_Say it!_" the voice commanded, now hacking into his ears harshly.

"Cama Zots"

"_Good,_" the voice said, once again soft and soothing, "_You want to return home, yes?_"

"Of course."

"_You want to take revenge on Shad Silverwing?_"

"Yes!" Goth hissed, with new anger fueled by his hate of the runty bat who had humiliated him so supremely.

"_Then let the Humans capture you._"

"What?" Goth asked both surprised and outraged, "But, Lord Zots, they were the ones who took my from the jungle!"

"_But, they will also be the ones to bring you back, the ones who allow you to take revenge on Shade Silverwing, and the ones who will help you give me the power to kill the sun._"

"Kill the sun?"

"_Yes, Goth. If I can kill the sun, I will be able to reveal myself to you and give you a army of Vampyrum, both dead and alive, to conquer all the kingdoms._"

"I will do it, Lord Zots," Goth replied, duty in his voice.

"_Then,_" the voice said, "_Awake,_"

...

Goth hurled himself from the mine with a darkly gleeful laugh. To his amazement, when he had woken, he had found his body healed and his wings mended. He was whole once again. Only Zots could have the power to do this.

_Then let the Humans capture you._

He would allow the humans to do this, but not just yet. Zots had promised him a chance to take revenge on that troublesome rat, Shade, but he knew that revenge was only a few thousand wingbeats away- at Hibernaculum.

And that was a chance he just couldn't pass up.

...

**Well, here we go. I know it's a lot like the beginning of _Sunwing_, but it'll start to branch off pretty soon. While this is going to be my story, I'm going to try and work in elements from the book into it as much as possible. **

**Feel free to tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2: Jealousy

**Chapter 2:**

Jealousy

A tiger moth fluttered lazily through the cold air of the snowy forest. It suddenly sensed something diving towards it from above. Before it had time to react, Shade snatched it from the air in his mouth. He alighted on a nearby branch and swung himself upside-down, chewing the infamously hard-to-catch winged insect slowly, enjoying it. As the wing of the moth fluttered down from his teeth, he heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Nice catch, Shade!" Marina flapped down to his branch gracefully and swung upside-down to face him. Shade felt a broad smile split across his face at seeing his Brightwing friend. This was the first time in days he would be able to talk to her alone. To his complete disdain, she had been spending entirely too much time with-

"Marina!"

Shade sighed heavily as Chinook swung down between Marina and him. He was disgusted to see Marina smile broadly at the big Silverwing. How in Nocturna's name could she like the big brainless lummox?

"You finally got catching tiger moths down, huh, Shade?" Chinook said mockingly, "I've already caught four tonight," he boasted, his chest swelling with pride. Marina laughed- that tinkly laugh Shade had always loved.

He just couldn't stand it any longer. Shade dropped from his perch, swooping into the air inches from the ground.

"Hey, where are you going?" Shade was glad to hear that Marina was genuinely unhappy to see him leave- Chinook seemed perfectly happy to be alone with Marina.

"Uh, I saw another tiger moth over there," he said pointing his wing in the opposite direction, "I'm going to see if I can find it."

"Okay, well," Marina said, frowning, "I'll see you later then,"

As he flew after his imaginary tiger moth, he could hear Chinook telling one of his favorite latest stories, while Marina giggled and laughed with him. That tinkly laugh. It drove Shade insane. How could marina possible prefer to spend time with that muscle-bound jock over her best friend? Shade had felt great after his triumph over Goth. He had won back the sun for all bats. Everyone treated him like a hero, and gave him special treatment. In the summer, hey were going to start hollowing out their new Tree Haven, even if it wasn't the one on he had found on Marina's island. Frieda and the elders had decided to let him look for his father- at some point in the future, anyway. Even Chinook had laid off him, and had since decided he was worth talking to. At least he didn't call him "Runt", anymore. But now he felt just as tiny and unimportant as he did before. Sometimes it just wasn't fair. Now even Marina had seemed to think he was too boring to be with anymore. She was spending all her time with Chinook.

Shade sighed and veered off, looking for somewhere to roost and groom himself.

...

Goth was dreaming about Shade.

The big Vampyrum had roosted only a short flight from Hibernaculum. He decided he would wait to finally take his revenge on that runty Silverwing the next night- make his suffering an entire night, he had thought. So now he was saving his strength, fantasizing about feasting on the runt's flesh.

_He had Shade pinned, down a powerful claw forcing the runt's shoulders to the ground roughly. The Silverwing was making a pathetic attempt to escape, but Goth easily overpowered the tiny, northern bat. He lowered his head to Shade's own, so that he could stare into the smaller bat's eyes. Shade was now breathing shakily, panic gripping his weak heart, his eyes filled with fear. Goth smiled evilly at the runt, licking his lips in anticipation. _

_He lowered his head to the Silverwing's ear._

"_Hola..."_

_He reared back as Shade screamed in terror, and then lunged forward, his jaws shrieking towards the pesky rat's heart._

Goth shifted in his sleep, chuckling darkly in his sleep.

"Shade..."

Shade was settled a little ways off from Marina, Todd, and Breeze, as they listened to Chinook tell his favorite hunting story- or fairy tale, as the case may be- _again_.

"So then, after I caught thirty more beetles, and two-hundred more mosquitoes, I caught _ten more_ tiger moths!"

"Wow, Chinook. How are you such a good hunter?" Breezed breathed, amazed.

Marina smiled in agreement. "Yeah."

"Just born with it I guess. You know my fathers a great hunter, too," Chinook bragged, shrugging carelessly.

Todd seemed to be the only one with any sense. "Come on, Chinook. That's way more bugs that you said you caught last time,"

Ignoring him, Chinook turned to Marina. "So, uh, you wanna go hunt with me?"

"Sure," Marina answered, happily.

"I'll come, too," Todd said.

Shade sighed. He was about to take off, when a voice stopped him.

"Hey, Shade! You want to hunt?" It was Breeze.

After being labeled a hero, Shade had gotten a lot more attention from the young females in the colony, but he was only interested in one. He was about to tell her no, like he had all the others, but something stopped him. He saw Marina watching him from the corner of her eye, trying her best to hide her interest. Shade almost smiled.

"Sure, Breeze." he replied loudly, "Why not?"

As Breeze and he fluttered off together, Shade saw, not without satisfaction, Marina frowning at them.

...

As Shade hunted with Breeze, his new-found way to make Marina jealous, Goth was smacking his lips in his sleep, imagining he was eating the runt's heart.

He had dreamed that Zots had healed him, and he did. And he was convinced that Zots would make this dream come true as well...

...

**Well, it's not exactly as long as the first chapter, but I just needed to set up the story a little more.**

**Please, tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3: Breakdown

**Chapter 3:**

Breakdown

Shade was alone.

It was daylight, and the sun was shinning brightly, high in the noon sky. Although they were now allowed to fly during the day, most bats chose to continue sleeping during the day, emerging at night to hunt. Shade was roosted, grooming his wings. He lifted his head. Picking out a leaf a few wingbeats from him, he took careful aim, and then launched a barrage of sound at it, driving the it into a sharp point. The leaf snapped off neatly at its steam. Shade smiled, satisfied. He had only very recently discovered he could use sound not just to spin echo projections, but to move objects as well. Frieda told him it was rare skill- a skill she herself had in her youth. Although he wasn't very good yet, Shade had made visible progress in moving small objects. Looking for something a bit more challenging to move, Shade focused on a small rock on the ground. He had never tried moving anything so heavy, yet alone from this far away. He took aim, inhaled deeply, then shoot out the strongest, most concentrated stream of sound he could muster. The pebble wobbled, but stayed immobile. Furrowing his brow with concentration, Shade tried again, giving it his all. To his surprise, the rock flipped over. He moved it several more inches before he could go no father. He breathed raggedly, exhausted, but happy with himself.

"Very good, Shade," Shade was surprised to find his mother, Ariel, alighting down on a branch near his own. "The elders have summoned you Shade. Sometimes ago, actually," she panted, sounding weary. "I've been looking for you all morning. I really wish you would stay closer to Hibernaculum."

"I don't get why we have the right to fly during the day, if we never use it," Shade complained. Although he was happy to see his mother, he hoped he would have to see Marina- with Chinook trailing right behind her, no doubt- until the evening.

"How are you ever going to get through Hibernation, if you're so restless all the time? Well, come on. We mustn't keep the elders waiting any longer than they already have," Ariel said, starting to flutter away.

Shade dropping from his roost, and followed after her. She slowed down, dropping back next to him.

They flew in silence for a moment, until Ariel spoke. "Marina's worried about you."

"She is?" Shade stuttered, surprised.

Ariel nodded vaguely. "She's afraid that you're ignoring her."

Shade's only answer was a guilty silence. He had been spending most of his time with Breeze.

"She says you've been acting very... strange lately... distant," she continued. "You mean the world to her, you know. She says you gave a home when she had none, a friend when she needed it the the most."

"Well, she's fitting in just fine," Shade replied, not without a hint of irritation in his voice.

Ariel glanced at him from the corner of her eye and smiled knowingly. "Jealous of Chinook, are we?"

"No, of course not! Why would I be?" Shade snapped, angrily, the skin beneath his fur becoming warm.

"I just want you to remember that no matter how much you two ignore each other, she still cares about you. And I know you do to."

They flew the rest of the way without talking, thankfully. Shade found that Marina was waiting for them- with Chinook of course.

"Shade," Frieda greeted him warmly. "I have some good news."

Shade listened intently.

"We elders have discussed it amongst ourselves, and we've unanimously decided you and your mother have earned the right to look for your father."

Shade listened, speechless, as Marina beamed at him.

"Hector was a close friend of Cassiel's," Freida continued, "He knows where you father was heading last."

"Really?"

"Yes," Hector answered, "He and a few other males went to check out a human building they found found last spring. They never came back."

"If they are willing," Frieda picked back up, "A small group of bats may accompany you, as Hector and I will," she continued, motioning to Chinook's father, who was a Elder as well. "We leave in five dawns."

To Shade's absolute surprise, the first cry of volunteer didn't come from Marina, but from Chinook.

"I'll go!"

Shade stared at him in amazement. Chinook offering to help him?

"I'll come, too!" It was Marina.

They were suddenly interrupted by Mercury. "Frieda! Owl, outside."

Normally this would be a very bad situation, but he and Marina were already sharing a questioning- and excited- glance. "Orestes?" they asked in unison.

As soon as Mercury nodded, both of them were speeding towards the entrance of the cave.

"Orestes!" they both called, catching sight of the young owl.

"Shade! Marina!" he exclaimed, spreading his wings happily.

"Boy, is it good to see you!" Marina said, settling down next to Shade in front of the gentle son of the owl general, Brutus.

"I wish I could say the same thing," Orestes sighed.

"What is it?" Shade asked, worried.

"Both my father's men and King Romulus, of the rats, have reported some missing birds and rats," Orestes said, frowning. "I'm afraid it may be Go-"

"No!" Shade yelled, surprised at the fear in his own voice. "I mean, I saw him being washed down the river. He must of downed," he added quietly, trying to convince himself more than anyone.

"Maybe it was Throbb," Marina said looking at Shade with worry.

"That impossible. My father's owls tore Throbb apart," Orestes argued. "I'm sorry, Shade, but we have to take into possibility that Goth's still alive."

Shade struggled to keep himself from shuddering. It was impossible. He had seen Goth crushed by that ice drift. He was dead. Dead! But, he had been dead at the Towers of Fire, too, a tiny voice told Shade.

"Shade? Are you alright?" Marina asked.

"No," he replied shakily, "No, I'm not."

...

Shade was roosting alone when he heard Marina, Chinook, Breeze, and Todd fluttered down to him.

"So," Chinook began airily, "I heard one of those cannibal bats- Goth, was it- os alive."

"No!" Shade snapped, "I saw him drown. He's dead."

"Shade..." Marina began, before being interrupted by Chinook.

"I don't know what you're so worried about. I mean, if _you_ dealt with him, he can be so bad. I could fight him," he claimed smugly.

"Hey, just lay off him, Chinook," Breeze said.

"Why should I? He's just a-"

"Sure, Chinook, you could have fought him. He just would've ate you. And I doubt you have the brains to outsmart him, if you have any at all!" Shade raged, clenching his fist and grinding his teeth.

"Watch it, Runt!" Chinook said, a dangerous edge to his voice. "I should-"

"Just stop it, Chinook. Look, I don't want to have to deal with a stupid, clueless idiot like you, so flap off!" Shade said, dropping from his roost and hovering in front of a dumbfound Chinook for a moment, before flying father into the moonlight, snow covered forest.

"Now wait just one minute, Runt," Chinook growled, taking off after him.

Shade stopped mid-flight, and turned to face the approaching, larger Silvering. He hurled an echo projection of Goth straight at Chinook, his jaws wide open, wings spread, and claws flexing. Chinook flapped backwards quickly, terrified, and crashed into the tree, dousing himself in a small avalanche of snow. Shade turning around and continued flying.

"Shade!" he heard both Marina and Breeze calling from behind him.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to see _any_ of you!" he threw over his shoulder.

He could help but see the hurt and confused look on Marina's face.

Shade was huddled at the base of a branch, his back to the trunk of the tree. He hadn't meant to sound so cruel, but had just had to get away from it all. Marina, Chinook, Goth. He couldn't handle it much longer. He heard Ariel, Marina, and Breeze calling his name in the distance. He ignored them, due to a mixture of needing to be alone and being afraid of facing Marina and Breeze after his breakdown. He buried his head into his wings.

"Feeling a bit down, aren't we, _mi amigo_?"

Shade's eyes shoot open. Before he could throw himself into the air to escape, a set of enormously strong claws wrapped around his throat. He felt his body being hauled up and slammed against the trunk of the tree, as if he was as light as air.

"Shade!" that all too familiar voice cried out in mock jubilation, "I'm so glad you could make it for dinner."

A reply caught in his throat, Shade could only stare in horror at the bat that had been haunting his dreams since almost- _almost_- meeting his demise that day in the river.

"Guess what's on the menu." Goth laughed darkly, giving Shade a hungry grin.

…

**Finally! Our villain truly enters the story. And it _is_ a tiny bit longer than the first two chapter.**

**Tell me what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4: Goth's Return

**Chapter 4:**

Goth's Return

"What's the matter, Shade? Are you happy to see me?" Goth laughed hysterically.

For a moment Shade couldn't speak. Goth's wings- they were no longer shredded , no longer burned. It was impossible. But, he was seeing it with his own eyes. After a moment he managed, "... your wings..."

"Yes," Goth said, raising his free wing. "Zots has healed them, he has made me whole again!" he said with triumph, as if it were some victory over him, over the rules of nature itself.

Could Goth's god really do that, Shade though with a strange calmness. It seemed so unfair. Here he was, an unlikely hero who earned the right for all bats to fly by day, and he was treated like a he wasn't there at all. But Goth- a devious, cruel _cannibal_ who caused a _war_ against the Silverwings- was healed by his god after being outsmarted over and over by a runty northern bat. A sudden rage descended over Shade.

"Let me go!" Shade grunted, trying his best to kick at the Vampyrum. Goth's laughter grew even louder.

This was it, Shade thought dully, his anger fading. Goth was going to kill him. He was going to die. He let his body go limp.

"Oh, what's this!" Goth crowed, "Giving up? It's about time you got smart!" he added, his voice becoming a snarl.

Shade closed his eyes and let his head hang, waiting for Goth to tear his heart out.

_ You mean the world to her, you know._

"Oh, don't worry, Shade," Goth said with mock sympathy, "Your death won't be in vain. You'll be my last mean before I go back to my home in the jungle to kill the sun and raise Zots."

Shade barely comprehended Goth's words. Kill the sun? Raise Zots?

_… she still cares about you._

"And who knows? Maybe I'll pay _senorita_ Marina a visit after I've, uh," Goth snickered, "Had my fill of you."

Marina! Shade's eyes bolted open, his body rigid. He was suddenly thinking with a desperate urgency. There was no way he could overpower Goth, but maybe he could outsmart him just one more time... There. A unusually large icicle was hanging dead above Goth's head. He had never moved anything so large, but he had to try. He locked his eyes on it and, gathering every bit of strength he had, launched a stream of sound at it. The base of the icicle began to wobble.

"Don't think your trickery will work this time!" Goth cried, believing he was trying to call up an echo projection. Goth's grip around his throat tightened.

The whole icicle began to shiver.

"I _will_ eat your heart, Runt!" Goth roared, drawing back his free claw for the final blow.

_Clink!_

The icicle broke off at its base. It dropped through the air on a direct collision course with Goth skull. The carnivore scarcely had time to raise his head before the heavy, solid piece of ice struck him square on the head with an audible crack.

"Ugh," Goth groaned, releasing his chokehold on Shade. He suddenly pitched forward, dropping like a sack of bricks.

Shade scrambled to his feet. He gentle prodded Goth wis his wing. Goth did not move. Shade let a smile of relief spread across his face.

Without warning, Goth moaned, "... Shade..." His claws were twitching ominously. He wouldn't be out much longer.

Shade frantically threw himself into the air, flapping as hard as he could towards Hibernaculum.

Marina was grooming herself absentmindedly, roosted with Chinook, Breeze, and Todd just outside of Hibernaculum. She was worried about Shade. Ariel, Breeze, and she had gone out looking for him, but ariel had said that if they hadn't found him be then, he didn't want to be found.

"Just let him cool off," she had told her. Marina had argued, but she eventually agreed to return to Hibernaculum.

That didn't make her feel any better.

"I hope Shade's alright," she thought aloud.

"Yeah," Breeze sighed in agreement.

Chinook snorted. "Who cares? I hope he chokes on a mosquito," he pouted, crossing his wings.

"You're just angry he went off at you like that, Chinook," Todd pointed out reasonably. "And to be honest, you had it coming to you."

Chinook continued to pout.

Suddenly, Shade himself burst into view.

"Shade!" Marina cried, relieved. She dropped from her roost, fluttering towards Shade. She stopped dead.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Shade, what's wrong?" Breezed asked frantically. Even Chinook looked concerned.

Shade hovered, panting heavily, for a moment before giving an answer. "G-G-Goth!"

As if on cue, a huge, dark shape shrieked up from the base of the waterfall with a gleeful laugh.

Goth snarled, knocking Marina aside with one enormous wing. He plucked Shade from the air, then with an powerful heave, tossed the tiny Silverwing past his gaping friends and straight through the entrance into Hibernaculum. Hurling himself after Shade, the big cannibal roared past Chinook, Breeze, and Todd, sweeping them from their roost.

...

Screams of terror rang through Hibernaculum, as Goth flung himself into the huge cave, pinning Shade to the ground with a satisfied grunt. Bats filled the air, dropping from their roosts in panic.

"_Shade!_", Ariel screamed in horror, her voice piercing the air. "_No!_" She hurled her body at Goth. He simply swatted her aside like an annoying insect. Several males suddenly snapped out of their stunned motionlessness. Led by Hector, they dived upon Goth trying to gain his attention long enough for Shade to escape. With his free hand, Goth snatched Hector from the air, them promptly threw him into the other males, causing them to land in a heap of fur and wings.

Goth turned to face Shade once again, giving him a sinister grin. "I'm going to eat you alive, Shade," he hissed. He parted his jaws, preparing to lunge. The southern bat suddenly lurched to the side, rolling off of Shade. He was being held down by the combined weight of Marina, Chinook, Ariel, and Hector.

"Go!" he heard Marina cry, before Goth threw them off with one, enormous heave.

"No one can help you now, Rat!", he cried in rage, launching himself into the air.

He suddenly cried out, more in surprise than pain. Marina was clinging stubbornly to his leg, her fang sunk deep into his foot. He yanked her from his leg by her wing, snarling in anger.

"No!" Shade flung himself onto Goth's back, wings wrapped around his neck, claws hooked together. Goth released Marina, and thrashed wildly around trying to rip the Silverwing from his back. Shade bit into Goth's shoulder- hard. Goth cried out again, in rage and pain. _I have to get him out of here_, Shade thought, suddenly realizing that there were still panicked bats in Hibernaculum. He released his grip on Goth's neck, then hovered above the Vampyrum for a moment.

"Come and get me, you big, gutless idiot."

Goth roared in rage, throwing himself after the smaller bat, as he flew through the entrance to Hibernaculum. Goth shoot from the waterfall curtain into open air, chasing Shade unrelentingly.

"You can't run forever, Shade!" he called.

He's right, Shade thought grimly. Even as he dove, spun, rolled, and banked, Goth kept right on his tail, his jaws snapping at his feet the whole way. He'd need a miracle to escape Goth this time.

That miracle arrived in the form of a squadron of owls, led by Orestes and General Brutus himself.

...

Goth stopped, hovering. This was quickly becoming _very_ irritating. A group of owls hovered before him, Shade among them.

Of course, he could kill all of them, but he had hoped to take care of Shade quickly and easily. Oh well, he though darkly, flexing his claws in preparation to attack.

Zots voice suddenly slithered into his mind.

_Goth_, it teased, _Why are you disobeying me?_

Goth hesitated for a moment, a frown of his face.

_Why!_ The voice was now deafening and filled with rage, setting off blinding flashes of light in Goth's mind.

Goth scowled. "This is not over Runt!" he roared at Shade, and soared away.

Shade hovered, too shocked to do much else. Why had Goth just left?

"Shade!" Marina, Ariel, Chinook, Breeze, Todd, Frieda, and Hector were all making his way towards him.

He suddenly realized he was very tired and sick with worried. Brutus's face reflected his own feelings.

"This cannot be good, Lawbreaker," he sighed.

Together, owls and bats, they made their way back to the entrance to Hibernaculum.

...

**And now the real fun begins!**

**Next up, Frieda explains to Shade further about Nocturna and Cama Zots.**

**Tell me what you think, please. **


	5. Chapter 5: A Silent God

**Chapter 5:**

A Silent God

"Wow, Shade," Breeze exclaimed, crowding in next to the runty Silverwing, "That was amazing!"

They were flying in a small group, Silverwings and owls alike, making their way back to Hibernaculum.

Shade, still stunned by the whole ordeal, could only manage a confused, "Wha-?"

"The way you attacked that giant cannibal! That was the bravest thing I've ever see!" Breeze said, beaming at him.

"Yeah ," Marina added, somewhat sullenly and awed, joining them, "You really saved my fur back there."

"Oh," Shade muttered, unable to keep a small blush from spreading beneath his fur at the two young females' praise.

"That _was_ pretty cool, Runt," Chinook mumbled in grudging respect, Todd nodding in agreement.

"It's just lucky for me that those owls showed up, or Goth would have killed me," Shade said quickly, trying to divert some attention from himself.

Marina nodded. "How did you know that Goth was after Shade?" she called to Orestes who was flying a short ways ahead of them.

"One of my father's sentries saw him heading this way, and he decided to deal with it himself," he explained, nodding towards Brutus, who was flying at the head of the group, deep in conversation with Frieda and Hector. "Think of it as his way of saying sorry about the whole war thing."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Shade heard his mother say to him from somewhere behind him.

But he said nothing, deep in thought. How had Goth's wings been healed? Did Zots really do it? What had he meant when he said he was going to "kill the sun"? These thoughts buzzed around in his skull like a swarm of angry bees, until he thought he was going to crack.

"Hey." Marina was mercifully jabbing at him with her wingtips, breaking his trance. "We're here."

...

Hibernaculum was abuzz with question as the group arrived.

"What happened?"

"Where's the cannibal?"

"Is he dead?"

"Will he return?"

"Are we safe?"

"Silence!" Frieda said, spreading her wings. "The cannibals has been driven off, but he is not dead." The old leader sighed. "It is completely possible he will return. I will say this," she continued, turning to Shade, "He seems to be after you, Shade. I think it best for the search party for your father to leave first thing tomorrow. All who wish to join should be sure to get a full day's rest"

Shade and Frieda shared a small smile. Then Shade's smile vanished as he recalled what Goth had told him.

"Goth said he was going back to his jungle, in the south." Shade said sullenly, repeating what the Vampyrum had said. "He also said he was going to... to kill the sun," he said grimly.

Frieda and Brutus shared a worried chance, as Marina looked at him intently.

"His wings... they were completely healed. They were totally shredded in the river!" he continued. "He said his god- Zots- healed him." He looked questioningly at Frieda. "Is that possible?"

Frieda sighed wearily. "Come," she commanded, "There is much for me to tell you, both of the Vampyrum's Zots and our own Nocturna."

...

"Now," Frieda said, "How much do you know of Zots?" She had brought Shade to a secluded roost in the back of Hibernaculum.

"He's suppose to be a huge, skeletal bat who lives in the molten core of the Earth, right?"

"Yes," Frieda sighed, "And I assume you've heard of Nocturna?"

"Sorta," Shade said, trying to remember what little that he knew of the god, "Scirocco mention some kind of promise."

"Yes, Nocturna's Promise," Frieda said, "After the battle between the birds and the beast, she promised that one day that the Great Treaty would be lifted and that bats could fly in the light of the sun again." She smiled at a stunned Shade. "Yes, Shade, you fulfilled the Promise."

"B-But," Shade stammered, "Why haven't I heard anything about her before?"

"Many have forgotten her and her Promise during our banishment," Frieda explained, "ot even stopped believing in it, accepting the great injustice that was brought against us."

"Then why hasn't she ever done anything to help us, to help me?" Shade asked angrily, enraged at their god's silence.

"I do not know," Frieda said patiently, as if expecting this question, "I asked myself the same thing when I was your age. I have since learned to do things on my own, not relying on Nocturna. Perhaps this is her intention- to teach us independence. Or perhaps I am just thinking wishfully." Frieda smiled distantly.

"What does this have to due with Zots killing the sun, anyway?" Shade asked.

"Zots is Nocturna's twin brother. Together, they rule all bats. Nocturna, the world of the living, and Zots, the Underworld," Frieda said grimly.

"T-The Underworld?"

"Yes; the place all bats go in the afterlife."

"The why would Zots want to kill the sun?" Shade demanded.

"That, I do not know, Shade," Frieda said wearily, "But, I can assure you it cannot be good."

"No," Shade muttered darkly, "If Goth has anything to do with it, it's not good. It's not good at all."

"Trust me," Frieda said a slight edge to her voice, "I know. Now," she said more gently, "Go hunt and get a full night's rest we have a long journey ahead of us."

...

"Hey Shade!" Breeze called to him, settling down next to him, "What's up?"

Shade swallowed his mosquito. "Nothing," he answered quickly, "Just looking for Marina." Shade felt ridiculous. Even if he was a hero, he still felt awkward around other bats more and more each day; especially females. He was even uncomfortable around Marian now, something that unsettled him deeply. How could he feel that way about his best friend?

"You know," Breeze said, rolling her eyes, "If you like Marina, you should just tell her."

"_What!_ I do not like her!" Shade snapped, already feeling his ears going red.

Breeze giggled. "Oh come-on, Shade," she said, jabbing her wingtips at him playfully, "It's obvious."

"It is not!" Shade exclaimed. "I-I mean, _if _it was true," he added quickly, realizing his mistake.

Breeze smiled in good nature. "You don't have to lie to me. I know you've only been hanging out with me to try and make her jealous."

Shade dropped his eyes from her gaze, ashamed.

"It's fine," she assured him, "Think of it as an apology for all the times we made fun of you."

Shade grunted in response, wanting to end the conversation.

"She likes you too," Breeze continued, "Maybe not like _you_ like her, but she's really sad that you're ignoring her. Think about it" Breeze concluded, dropping from her roost. "See you later."

Shel left Shade with a lot to think about. Was it really that obvious that he would like to be more than friends with Marina? Were his mother and Breeze right? Did Marina really think enough of him to be so worried? She had always seemed so unimpressed with him. Sometimes he though she only put up with him as a friend. He had always been convinced that she was totally uninterested in him as more that that, but could he be wrong.

Shade suddenly realized how tired he was. Yawning, he took wing and started to made his way back to Hibernaculum.

...

Goth was waiting for the humans.

He was roosted not far from Hibernaculum, a look of royal displeasure on his face. He did not know when, or even how, the humans would find him, but Zots had assured him he would not have to wait long. He snorted. It probably had something to do with the accursed band. A he gazed scathingly at the dully shimmering piece of human metal, a faint buzz reached his ears from the distance. I soon grew into a dominating roar, filling both the air and his ears.

There.

A human flying machine became visible from above the treeline, a human leaning from it, something in his huge, clumsy hands. Goth watched, with both scorn and intrigue. What were they up to?

_Bang! _

There was a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he found another human thing sunk into his flesh. It was long, shiny, and sharp, ending in a bright tuff of fur or feathers. His instinct took over. As he prepared to rip it from his body, Zot's voice slid into his mind, like a snake's tongue.

_No..._

Goth tensed his body, fighting the second voice inside him screaming to rip out the human thing. No; he must obey Lord Zots. His body suddenly felt very weary. He was struggling to keep himself from dropping from his roost to the forest floor below. He dug his claws into the bark with all that remained of his strength. As his mind followed his body into sleep, he saw that the human flying thing was slowly moving towards the ground, the smelly humans thundering to each other in their huge, booming voices.

"You _will_ pay," Goth heard himself whisper fiercely before he slipped into unconsciousness.

As Goth was captured by the humans, Shade was roosted comfortable between Marina and Ariel, sleeping soundly, knowing tomorrow he would leave to find his father.

But, unknown to both he and Goth, their paths were destined to cross again.

...

**What do you think? **

**I honestly don't know where to go from here, so don't expect another chapter for a while.**


	6. Chapter 6: Paradise Part I

**Chapter 6:**

Paradise (Part I)

Shade's wings cut through the cold winter air, as he banked in and out of the bares trees of the skeletal forest. Ahead of him was Ariel, Freida, Mercury, and Hector. Marina and- as always- Chinook were behind him. Surrounding the bats, owls flew in a protective formation. As their small group had left Hibernaculum, an owl convoy had met them. Orestes, who had tagged along, had claimed it was to protect them if Goth showed up agin. And to help make up for Brutus's war on bats, although the later had been off record. A shiver ran through his body. He hadn't realized how truly cold it was. He had never been out in the open winter air long enough to really notice it. He felt a slight pang of jealousy for the bats back at Hibernaculum, probably already in their nice, warm, long winter sleep. He almost regretted leaving...

Shade was brought back to reality rather rudely as Chinook dumped snow on him, almost knocking him from the sky. Shaking snow from his fur, Shade glared up at a the larger Silverwing.

"Hey! What was that for!" he demanded.

Chinook only laughed harder. "Oh come-on, Shade, I'm just messing with you." He sailed down to fly level with Shade.

"Yeah, Shade," added Marina, who swooped in to join them. "You really need to lighten up."

"What! Lighten up?" Shade huffed. "Did you already forget the giant cannibal bat that tried to eat me yesterday?"

Marina banked to soar closer to him. "Shade," she started reasonably, "Did _you_ forget that we going to go look for your father? You of all bats should be happy."

Shade sighed, realizing she was right. Then, just a suddenly, he realized who he was talking to. He felt his cheeks begin to burn. He tried to stammer out an answer.

"Shade? Are you alright?" Marina moved even closer to him.

Shade swore the tips of his ears must be turning red. "Er... I, uh... I mean..."

Chinook suddenly muscled himself in between them. "Yeah, runt," he said, "Can't handle the cold or something?"

Although Shade gritted his teeth at the larger bat's comment, he was actually glad to see Chinook for once. Taking the opportunity, he flapped ahead, escaping both Marina and his embarrassment. He hated this. When he wasn't around Marina, he wanted to be. When he was around Marina, he was so embarrassed he could barely pull together a single sentence. Determined to distract himself, he flew to talk with Orestes.

"Hey Shade," said the young owl, "Why aren't you with Marina?"

"I, uh..." Shade started, but the problem was, he didn't know to finish.

"Is it Chinook? Because it looks like your jealous of him"

"What!" exclaimed Shade, surprised at the owls insight, "No. I mean, he may be bigger and stronger than me, but that doesn't matter if a moth can think circles around you. Why would I be jealous of Chinook?"

"Marina, " Orestes answered simply.

"But, I..." Shade sighed in defeat.

Orestes smiled knowingly. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." With that, he soared away, leaving Shade alone again. As he flew from ear shot, the owl added something under his breathe. "Like I need to tell anyone."

Shade growled in irritation. Did everyone know about his feelings for Marina? Beating the air with his wings harder, he speed up, hoping to get to their destination as soon as possible. Trying to kill time, he began imaging what wondrous place his father had discovered.

…

Shade's daydreaming was interrupted by Hector's voice.

"The human building is up ahead!" the elder shouted.

Shade blinked in surprised. Hag they really been flying that long? His mouth pulled into a wide smile. Frantically pushing against the cold, think air, the runty Silverwing made his way to Hector's side.

"Where is it? How far?"

Hector nodded to a tree bank about a thousand wingbeats ahead of them. "Just behind-"

He stopped, his mouth in a "O" of surprise. He almost fell in mid-flap. They all did. The bats couldn't believe their ears.

It was singing. Beautiful, beautiful singing. The owls could hear it too.

In an almost trance-like state, they followed the tempting sound, eyes focussed solely ahead. Soaring over the trees, the source of the music became clear- the human building. It was amazing to Shade that such an exquisite noise could come from such a dull, gray place. The singing got louder and louder as they approached the structure. They landed on the roof of the building. The sound was almost deafening now, but the group seemed to care very little about this. As if they were being controlled by some outside force, both bats and owl started to desperately look for a way into the structure, a way to that heavenly sound.

Shade suddenly shouted. "Hey! Over here! I found an entrance!"

The others crowed around him. He was standing in front of what seemed to be a portal or tunnel.

"Well," Marina questioned, "What are we waiting for?" Their was an excited gleam in her eyes.

"I don't think we can fit in there," said one the owls dubiously.

For the first time, Shade realized how small the entrance he had found was.

"Oh," Shade mumbled.

Marina sighed. "Maybe you guys will just have to wait for us outside."

"No, wait!" It was Orestes, waving his wings in the air, several yards off. "There's another one over here. And it's big enough for us!"

The owls all shared a look of joy and hopped off to join him.

Marina poked Shade with a wingtip. "Go on." She grinned at him. "You found it, you should be the one to go in first." Ariel, Hector, Mercury, and Freida all nodded their agreement. Chinook opened his mouth as if to argue, then quickly closed his mouth into a small frown, as if thinking better of it.

With one last glance at the owls, the last of which was disappearing into the portal, Shade took a deep breathe and jumped.

…

Shade tumbled through the tunnel, unable to fly in such a tight place. Warm air suddenly rushed past his chilled body. A bright light suddenly blinded him from the end of the tunnel, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut. He hit open airs and unfurled his wings on instinct. He opened his eyes to an amazing sight.

Shade's jaw dropped open. As the others tumbled in behind him, they all gave similar reactions. It was ariel that finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

"Impossible..."

In the dead of a bitter winter, they had discovered a summer day.

The building was filled with warm air and green trees. Wildflowers and bushes dotted the ground. A stream babbled somewhere below. Insects of all kinds jumped and skittered through the foliage. Shade's mouth began to water at the though if eating.

"Is... is it real?" Marina question uncertainly.

Shade flapped forward tentatively, approaching a treetop. He gave a quick sniff. It smelled real. He poked a single claws through a leave, plucking it from the tree. It felt real too.

"Yeah," he said, rather stunned, "It is."

Freida was suddenly at his side. Shade almost jumped in surprise. Despite her age, the head elder was still quite the lithe flyer.

"Incredible." Old eyes sparkled in delight. "A living forest in a human building. Never in all my years have I seen such a thing" Her face wrinkled as she narrowed her eyes. She calmly pointed one wingtip. "Look."

Shade peered down. Hundreds of bats were rising from the trees. There were all kinds; Graywings, Brightwings, Silverwings, Small-foots, Fringes, Long-ears, and even some Shade had never heard of. They spiraled around them, smiling and calling greetings.

"Newcomers!" they said, genuine happiness in their voices. "Welcome!"

An old Hoary bat rose from the mas of fur and leathery wings. "I am Arcadia." She dipped her head in respect. She was molted gray, with silver streaks running across her chest and back. Her level gaze was fierce and penetrating. She looked like a natural leader.

Freida returned the gesture. "I am Freida Silverwing." Her tone took on an air of question. "What is this place?"

Arcadia gave a ghost of a smile. "Paradise."

…

**I'm back and so in _Sunwing_! I'm really sorry to take so long for such a short update, but what can I say? I'm lazy. You can expect maybe one or two more chapters from me, before I have to sit down and do some serious thinking as to where to go. I also working on a few other writing projects, so updates will most likely be few and far between.**

**So, what do you think?**


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